My Heart Is With You
by Star Vortex
Summary: Sorry, suck at short summaries. Full summary inside kinda . It's a Valduggery, but not romantic. Set between Faceless Ones and Dark Days. T because I'm paranoid.
1. Spring

Hi guys, both old and new friends, Skulduggery fans and fans of my own that never stopped believing in me. I guess I'm not dead, and I'm getting back into business.

First off, this is a Valduggery story, but not really romantically unless you tilt your head and squint really hard. I think that Val and Skul are meant for each other, but not exactly as many would thinks. As I like to say, they're not soul mates; they're soul siblings. Birds of a feather or two peas in a pod, if you get my drift. The relationship between the two is complicated, and that relationship is exactly what I want to explore in this fanfic.

It takes place right between the Faceless Ones and Dark Days, so if you have not read that far then LEAVE NOW AND SAVE YOURSELF FROM THE SPOILERS unless you like spoilers. I was originally planning on this being a one- or two-shot, but it looks like this may actually turn out to be an entire retelling of Dark Days. I don't know. I'll see what my muse demands. But I'll not bore you any more—on to the story!

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><p>It was a lovely day. Spring was solidly underway, and the world seemed to be waking up and stretching after the long slumber of winter. Birds soared, the sun shone, and a gentle breeze toyed with the treetops. In the distance, the ocean roared.<p>

Valkerie Cain was doing her best to enjoy the weather, but her mind was cold, barely capable of emotion. How strange this world was; so beautiful, so delicate, ready to crumble, yet so versatile that it had not yet happened. How often had she and Sk… how often had she averted disaster? How often had to world _almost_ been destroyed with only a second to spare, in Ireland alone? It made her think, think about if she and… if she had been kept on her toes constantly for the past three years and had never even left the country, what happened elsewhere? Just how often did the world escape magical danger in total?

"Stephanie!"

She cracked an eye open.

"Steph!"

Her mother was calling her. It was Sunday, and she had absolutely nothing planned, so she had left her reflection in the mirror. She wanted to live just one day in her normal life by herself, do everything instead of simply remember what her doppleganger had done. And this left her at an impasse: she definitely wanted to talk to her mother, but wasn't sure she would appreciate the position she was currently in.

"Steph, dear, are you out here?"

She decided to take a chance.

"Mom?"

"Stephanie? Where are you?"

"Up here, mom."

"Up whe—Stephanie! What are you doing on the roof?"

"Nothing. Want to come up?"

Her mother gawked at both the fact that her daughter was in a perfectly unsafe position and was also perfectly fine with it. She stared for a few seconds, then calmed with remarkable speed.

"… Yes. I think I will."

It was Valkerie's turn to be surprised as her mother coolly searched for a way up.

"Over there," Valkerie said, pointing to the balcony banister.

Her mother nodded and clambered up ungracefully, then plopped down next to Valkerie.

"What's wrong?" he mother asked bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"You've barely spoken to me or your father all day."

_Barely spoken to you all day?_ Valkerie thought cynically. _I've barely spoken to you all year._

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's wrong?"

Valkerie looked down, trying to think of the best thing to say without letting her mind wander into dangerous recollection.

"It's nothing."

"What's nothing?"

_Damn._ She shouldn't have said that, and her mother knew it. Was her reclusiveness really that revealing?

Valkerie looked away, down their street to a great oak tree that stood proudly at the corner. What could she say? She had been so accustomed to her reflection taking care of things for her, she had almost forgotten how to deal with her parents.

The silence stretched into what seemed like eternity, which broke only when her mother gently took her hand and kissed it.

"Stephanie, I'm your mother. I know you. It's all right. You can tell me."

Stephanie. God, that wasn't even her name anymore. Stephanie had long since disappeared into the pale reflection that he parents now knew.

"Mom, I…" she couldn't lie. But she didn't have to tell the truth either. "Mom, I love you. I know people think teenagers are apathetic morons, but I love you. I really do. I love you and I'd do anything to keep you and Dad safe. I'll love you for ever and ever and beyond that."

Her mother was silent, gently stroking her fingers while her eyes were fixed intently on Valkerie.

"Something's… happened," she continued. "But please, if you love me back… don't ask. I can't tell you. Not yet." The wound was too fresh, so that even a small brush against it would set her writhing in pain.

Her mother nodded.

"I understand."

"Thanks mom."

An urge built in her from nowhere.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Could you drive me to Gordon's?"

Surprise flashed across her face, but she nodded.

"Okay."

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><p>So, what do you guys think? The little green button below is a lovely creature, and I encourage you to pet him.<p> 


	2. Grief

**Cranium Mischief**: Why thank you good sir, but pray tell: _what_ is blue?

**Anonymous**: That's a good sign, right?

**Pendras Cornelius**: Here you are, then.

I've got a giant test soon and this is my procrastination strategy. That way, whenever someone asks if I'm being productive, I show them this document and their eyes go O_O and I say "Look, I'm writing."

Also, this entire chapter will focus on her mother more than Valkerie, so she'll be called Stephanie since it's kind of from Melissa's third person POV. Sorry I don't know the word, but you're smart. You'll figure it out.

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><p>The drive over was quiet, Melissa's numerous attempts at conversation halted by emotional brick walls. Stephanie would give short, curt answers then return to staring out the window.<p>

Over the past two years, Stephanie had become… distant. Like she wasn't really there. She would answer questions posed of her, but would never start conversation of her own will, and did her best to avoid all contact. Sometimes, for minute or an hour, she'd emerge from her room with a smile, and she would seem more _real_, more anchored. Then she would vanish, and the next time she appeared she would be in the same dreamlike state. It was almost like it was on purpose, like she was trying to keep her emotions hidden beneath a stony façade. Melissa didn't like it, but didn't press her daughter for things she was not ready to speak of.

But then the withdrawal had changed. For two days she hadn't tried to avoid anything, but conversation was like trying to talk to a wooden pole. It was like some part of her had been taken away, leaving a hole for something to fill, and Melissa didn't know what it was. She did know, however, that something very bad had happened two weeks ago, and she was going to find out.

They pulled onto the long driveway, gravel crunching beneath the tires. Melissa glanced over at her daughter, but Stephanie was still silent, and remained so when they pulled up to the front door. They got out silently and the dark-haired girl practically ran to the door, producing keys from her pocket. Her mother blinked.

"I didn't know you had those keys," she said.

Stephanie turned and flashed Melissa a dark and mysterious smile, then slipped into the house.

When Melissa came after her, she had already disappeared to god knows where, but instead of going after her, her mother wandered in the direction of the library. It had been a long time since the mansion had crossed her mind, but as she moved through the halls her thoughts were active. Despite the years that had passed, it contained less dust than she would have expected.

She shivered. The walls were indifferent to her passing. They were steeped in memory, more than she could imagine. Invisible eyes watched her, but she was too insignificant for them to do more than simply watch. This house held secrets.

She heard thumping as Stephanie came downstairs and went to meet her at the bottom. As the teenager came into view, Melissa's gut twisted. Stephanie looked like she was about to cry, but when she spoke her voice was controlled.

"Hey mom, can I stay here tonight?"

Melissa tilted her head, gazing deep into Stephanie's eyes. She could see the shroud bursting at the seams trying to hide the raw, deep pain behind it.

"Yes. Do… you want me to stay?"

Stephanie looked tempted, very tempted, and when she shook her head it looked about as easy as ripping her own arm off.

"No. I'll be fine." Stephanie knew her mother didn't believe her, and it showed in her voice.

"Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be all right?"

"Yeah."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Melissa nodded slowly, then gave her daughter a peck on the cheek.

"Okay then. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Bye."

"Bye."

She closed the door gently behind her, and spared the house another glance before getting back into her car. She was going to talk to Desmond about this. Something was very wrong.

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><p>Valkerie watched her mother pull out of the driveway, down the dirt road and turn onto the main street. She had wanted to tell her. She had desperately wanted to tell her. It had been so long since she'd been open with her parents, told them about her feelings, fears and dreams, laughed with them, cried with them. At this point, she'd probably even enjoy a stern lecture. How long had it been since she had enjoyed true peace, in a true home, unconcerned with the danger waiting right outside her doorstep? The shadowy world that she walked in—no, that she <em>lived<em> in; she was a part of the world now—her parents knew nothing about. She knew that world, she breathed it and felt it with every step she took, every thought that scuttled across her mind. She would never go back, she could never go back. The world of magic and danger, it was her world now, and it felt _right_. She had known for a long time that this was what she had fiercely craved her whole life, even when she hadn't known what or why. This life, this world, she had been _born_ for it. She had never put much stock in fate, but everything since Gordon's death seemed… like it was supposed to happen. Her inheritance, the Scepter, Skulduggery…

Skulduggery.

Pain rent her chest like a claw, crushing her lungs until she could barely breathe. She choked and grabbed at the windowsill, and her knuckles turned white as she gripped so hard she could no longer feel them. Ever since the battle, she had cleared her mind, carefully avoiding any thoughts about what had happened, but she could no longer stave off the rush of emotions.

God. Skulduggery… he was gone. Skulduggery was gone.

It was like staring into the sun. The knowledge seared her like a white-hot knife, sinking in and doubling her pain.

Skulduggery was gone.

She sank to her knees and felt burning tears spill over her face. There was a great emptiness in her, the emptiness of losing a dear friend.

Skulduggery was gone.

Suddenly, a laugh burst from within when she realized that she was actually crying. She was sure that if he knew, he would either scold her or tell her how he wasn't worth crying over.

_But you are,_ she thought as she sank completely to the floor. _You are._


End file.
